Andy Allison continues his long-time relationship with Derek Kellogg at the pair's third stop together here at UMass. Kellogg values loyalty, much like his mentor John Calipari, and that shows through with Kellogg's hiring of Allison as the director of basketball operations back in 2008, and his promotion to assistant coach in the fall of 2014.

Allison, spent six years working at the University of Memphis under Calipari, most recently as the assistant to the coordinator of operations during the Tigers' run to the NCAA Championship game.

Now in his fifth year at UMass, Allison is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the UMass basketball program. He will oversee the Derek Kellogg Basketball School, handle team travel, work with the academic support unit as well as being involved in every aspect of the program.

"I have worked with Andy for the better part of seven years both at Memphis and Youngstown State," said Kellogg. "He brings a great passion for what we are doing here at UMass. He is very organized and will take care of a lot of office work and personal needs for me. He has a great relationship with the players and will be the liaison with the academic support unit. I expect him to coordinate and work with everyone involved with the basketball program. He will be very close with the players and will get to know them on a personal level. He is also a close personal friend. The excitement and positive energy he will bring to the program will be great."

At Memphis, Allison, was in charge of the John Calipari Basketball School -- the coach's summer camps -- and clinics, as well as updating Calipari's web site, www.coachcalipari.com. Allison was also involved in other areas of basketball operations. The 2007-08 season was Allison's third year on the Tigers' operations staff. The Columbus, Ohio, native's first stint with Calipari and the Memphis program was from 2001-03 as a graduate assistant.

This past season, Allison was an integral part of the magical Tiger campaign, which culminated with the 2008 NCAA Tournament championship game. The NCAA Final Four appearance was the Tigers' first since 1985, and the NCAA title contest was the program's first since 1973. Memphis set an NCAA single-season record for victories with 38 wins (38-2 mark) and held down the No. 1 spot in both national polls for five-straight weeks during the season. The Tigers finished 2007-08 ranked No. 2 in both national polls, the highest final ranking in school history. Memphis also won a school-record 26-straight games, and swept the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles for a third-consecutive season. The Tigers won 30 games for a third-straight year in 2007-08, becoming the second school in NCAA Division I history to accomplish the feat. Kentucky was the first to do so from 1947-49 and 1996-98. UCLA joined the elite group later in 2007-08. From 2005-06 to 2007-08, Memphis won 104 games (104-10 record) and tied the 1996-98 Kentucky squads for the most victories in a three-year period in NCAA Division I history.

Allison served on staff during some of the Tigers' most successful seasons. In 2006-07, Allison was a part of another record-setting campaign. The Tigers won a school-record tying 33 games for a second-straight season (33-4 record) and captured their second-consecutive Conference USA regular season and tournament titles. The back-to-back outright regular season crowns were a first for the Memphis program, and the consecutive tournament championships were the Tigers first since they won two-straight Metro Conference Tournaments in 1984 and 1985. Memphis advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight for a second-straight year (2006, 2007), marking the first time in school history that happened.

The 2006-07 Tigers also pulled a first in Conference USA history. Memphis posted a perfect 16-0 regular season mark and captured the league's postseason tournament. The Tigers were the second squad in C-USA history to go 16-0 in the regular season as Cincinnati did so in 1999-2000. That Bearcat team, though, did not win the Conference USA Tournament title. The Tigers received a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and finished in the top 10 in both national polls (No. 5/AP; No. 7/ESPN-USA Today).

The 2005-06 season went down as one of the most storied in school history. Memphis posted a 33-4 record and won the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles. The 33 victories set a school single-season record for victories and the sweep of the conference regular season and tournament crowns was accomplished for the first time since 1984-85. The 2005-06 Memphis squad earned the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1992.

In 2001-02, Memphis went 27-9 and won the National Invitation Tournament crown, and the following campaign (2002-03), the Tigers earned their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1996.

In between his Memphis stints, Allison was the Director of Basketball Operations at Western Kentucky in 2003-04. Prior to his first time at Memphis, Allison was an assistant coach at Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio. He was also the head coach of the program's junior varsity squad.

Allison, 33, (born Dec. 12, 1976) earned a bachelor's degree in Education from Youngstown State University in 2000. He married his longtime sweetheart Jocelyn in the summer of 2009. He is the son of Al and B.J. Allison, and has a sister, Beth.